Mirror Ball Query

[tdtastic]

Ok kids,

I'ts time for that age-old question: GLASS mirror balls or PLASTIC mirror balls? Which kind of balls do you prefer???

Have an option for a 20" plastic model for under $80. The glass version is over $230! The plastic ball is much lighter, which will be easier for us to hang in what is a pretty hard-to-access location. But I've heard that a glass ball will give better sparkle. Thoughts? Is that even a thing? Would the plastic ball not be just fine as long as I windex it really well???

 

[JohnD]

Slight swerve, but be careful with Windex or similar with plastic.
Any glass cleaner that contains ammonia can cloud up many plastics.

 

[Van]

I really want to quote AC/DC here...

Plastic handles the impacts of transportation better, it's lighter than glass.

 

[RonHebbard]

Ok kids,

I'ts time for that age-old question: GLASS mirror balls or PLASTIC mirror balls? Which kind of balls do you prefer???

Have an option for a 20" plastic model for under $80. The glass version is over $230! The plastic ball is much lighter, which will be easier for us to hang in what is a pretty hard-to-access location. But I've heard that a glass ball will give better sparkle. Thoughts? Is that even a thing? Would the plastic ball not be just fine as long as I windex it really well???

@tdtastic Are you speaking of a plastic sphere covered with square pieces of real mirror neatly glued on and totally covering all of the plastic sphere Vs. a metallic sphere covered with square pieces of real mirror neatly glued on and totally covering all of the metal sphere OR a cheap 'n cheerful plastic sphere purportedly polished to shine like real pieces of real mirror? (Boo! Yuck!!) Personally I've only experienced the spun metallic sphere manufactured by spinning and forming two half-spherical pieces on a rapidly rotating form in a metal lathe and assembled into a hollow metallic sphere overlapping sightly at its equator by Ferse / Furse (Sp?) in the United Kingdom and imported to Canada in the early 1970's with its rotator pre- installed at the factory and totally enclosed within the real-mirrored sphere. To my knowledge, they've held up and performed beautifully since 1973 when two matching balls were imported into Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with one remaining with The Players' Guild of Hamilton Incorporated and the second with the LX department of our local 2100+ soft-seater IA road house. Occasionally both balls have been cross-loaned into various productions in either space, typically for fund-raisers in the larger space. Call me a mirror ball snob but I suspect I'd sneer at any mirror balls attempting to use shiny plastic in lieu of neatly attached rows of tiny real glass mirrors. The pair of matching Furse (Sp?) balls are approximately 20 to 24 inches in diameter and cost in the area of $200.00 Canadian in 1973. We had the option of ordering internal rotators at 240 Volts, 50 Hertz OR 120 Volts, 60 Hertz at time of ordering and of course both the two I know of contain 120 VAC 60 Hertz motors.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[Les]

A glass 20" for over $200? American DJ has the M-2020 which retails for $89.

 

[tdtastic]

thanks for in the thoughts yal. yeh Les I was shocked too:
https://www.stagelightingstore.com/913556-Mirror-Balls_4

 

[ship]

A real mirror ball is in actual mirrors of glass is woth the investment. Aluminum core veses plastic core globe can be debated and in a hard to access location not on tour. On cleaning, believe you already answered that question - hard to access location. Needs a cleaning perhaps once in a while no matter the mirror ball. If not portable and even with, a glass mirror even if cracked mirrors are what it is - still work mostly fine. Replacing mirror tiles is a challenge but can be done on the known product.

Fog goo, dust on surface in collecting heat, and heat from lamps projected on the mirror ball I'm sure for a plastic lens version has already been designed about - perhaps... Or realistically does containments collected on the plastic mirror create a frosting over of the lens when heated which cannot be cleaned off? Good note on cleaning of it by the way. Windex with Vineager.

Can you post a link to the plastic ball? Never seen one before.